Who disables who?

In understanding the social model it is now understand by many people, disabled or not, the disability is mostly create by society in terms of environment and attitudes. This is great as we have moved beyond a major of people seeing disabled people in terms of the medical model, however I feel some people are taking the social model so far as an excuse not to take responsibility for their ability to do things.

Proper inclusion requires society to widen its norms to include people ‘where’ they are but it also requires some effort and willingness from the individuals themselves to the inclusion really work. It is not so much as conforming but about taking responsibility for their contributions to society.

Therefore when people are saying there can not do something because “they are disabled”, it is sometimes right to question whether it is society that disabled them or whether it is their own attitudes that disables them. It is right and correct we are all questioned to understand our abilities and the real barriers we face.